Gas-mask



0. F. WAGE'NHORST.

GAS 'MASK. wane/mo" min ocr'. 1,8

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.;

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO F. WAGENHORST, 0F AKRON, OHIO.

GAS-MASK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

' Application filed October 18, 1918. Serial No. 258,753.

7 Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Masks,of which the following is a description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon. I

My invention relates to improvements in gas masks such as are used bysoldiers in modern warfare to ward off the effects of poisonous gasattacks. It frequently happens that, with respect to some kinds of gasused, the attacks are prolonged a considerable period or that the gasprojected lingers for an indefinite period in the atmosphere or evenpermeates the ground, so that the soldiers, for protection, must weartheir masks for a long period of timethirty-six or forty-eight hours, orperhaps even longer. One of the ObJBCtS of my lnvention 18130 provide animprovement to the modern type of gas mask, whereby, without removal ofthe gas mask, the wearer may be supplied with nourishment or medlclnesor liquids of any ClBSCllPtlOIl' that are essential to rellef;

and, furthermore, by my improvement a wounded man may be supplied withnecessarymedicine or liquid nourishment without such removal of themask. 7

It also frequently happens that the canister which contains thefiltering material through which the air is purified before being drawninto the mask, and which is carried by the wearer in a pocket or belt onthe blouse. and attachedto the end of a corrugated tube leading into themask, is defective or becomes punctured, in which event the functioningof the filtering material may cease and the effect of the gas mask isdestroyed.

It is the object of my invention to provide a gas mask with anarrangement whereby the canister containing the filtering material maybe removed and the pipe leading from the same shut off and a newcanister supplied immediately; or, if desired, two canisters may beattached to the air inlet pipe, each under separate control so that adefective canister may be cut off and the perfect one used. Theinvention, therefore, consists in the matters hereinafter described andreferred to in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a front view of the ordinarygas mask, showing my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, partly broken away, showing the connectionof the feeding tube with the mask;

Fig. 3 is a front view of a different means for attaching the feedingtube.

The mask shown, except for the i1nprovements hereinafter described, isof the standard type now in use by the American Army, and is showngenerally in the drawings at 1. It is provided with the usual aluminumdie casting 2, having an outlet 8 through which air is expelled, thisoutlet being covered by a flutter valve 4, allowing the air to pass fromthe mask when exhausting the air from the lungs but which closes uponinhalation. The die casting 2 is provided with an air intake nipple 5which is connected to a flexible rubber pipe 6. The pipe, as heretoforeconstructed, has attached to its lower end a canister containingfiltering material to purify the air to be breathed. It often happens,as above stated, that the canister is defective or may become puncturedand useless, in which event the filtering material would not perform itsfunction or purify the air and the poisonous gas would .be inhaled intothe lungs of the wearer of the mask. To obviate this a.

rubber pipe 6 is provided with a branch 7, to which another canistercontaining filteringmaterial may be applied as asubstitute for the otherdefective canister, or it may be that a canister may be attached to eachof the pipe ends. The main pipe 6, below the connection of the branchpipe, is provided with a valve 8, and the branch pipe 7 is also providedwith a valve 9, so that the air fed to the mask may be taken from eithercanister, as desired. This structure lessens to a considerable degreethe liability of the wearer becoming gassed, as it is not likely thatboth canisters would become ineffective at the same time.

The die casting 2 is provided with a pipe connection having a nipple 10on the outside and a nipple 11 on the inside. (onnected to the nipple onthe inside is a short flexible rubber pipe 12 of a length so that thewearer can place it in his mouth, when desired, by pressure with hisfinger from the taining medicine or liquid food or water,

and, upon the opening of the valve, the wearer of the maskcan suck upthe contents of the receptacle without removing the mask. When not usingthe feeding apparatus, the valve 13 is closed and the rubber connectionor tube 14.- may be removed so that the attachment will in no wayinterfere with the wearer. This structure, as will be seen, allows thewearer to be fed or given medicine or water, without removing the mask,which is very essential as it often happens that the masks have to beworn continuously for hours. Even patients in hospitals have beencompelled to wear them and it has heretofore been impossible to givenourishment or water to a patient when greatly in need of the same. 7

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, instead of havingthe connection through the die casting, the flexible art of the maskadjacent the die casting as a pipe connection cemented or other wisesecured thereto. In this event, the pipe extends inwardly a shortdistance, so that the wearer of the mask may readily insert it in hismouth and on the outside, it is provided with a valve 15, to which maybe connected the tube 14, and the operation would be the same as that inthe preferred form.

VVhile I have shown the heretofore described structure, it will beunderstood that the same could be varied in many ways to accomplish thedesired results without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

. 1. A gas mask having an air intake opening, a tube'connected thereto,a valve in said tube, a branch pipe connected to said tube intermediatethe valve and mask, whereby independent canisters containing filteringmaterial may be connected with saicltube, and a feeding tube attachmentadjacent the intake opening and having an extension on the inside of themask within easy reach of the mouth of the wearer.

2. The combination with a gas mask, of an air intake, of a feedingattachment adjacent said air intake for conveying food or nourishment tothe wearer, and a nipple connected thereto on the inside of the mask.

3. The combination with a gas mask, of an air intake, of a feeding tubeattachment adjacent said opening for conveying food or nourishment .tothe wearer, a valve in said attachment, and a nipple connected theretoon the inside of'the mask.

l. The combination with a gas mask having the usual mouth die castinghaving an air intake, of a feeding tube attachment in said die castinghaving a nipple on the inside and a valve on the outside whereby food ornourishment may be conveyed to the wearer.

5. The combination with a gas mask having the usual mouth die castinghaving an air intake opening and outlet opening, of a feeding attachmentin said die casting for conveying food or nourishment to the wearer, anipple on the inside and a valve on the outside, and having means forattaching a tube.

6. The combination with a gas mask, of an air intake, of a feedingtubeattachment adjacent said opening for conveying food or nourishmentto the wearer, a nipple connected thereto on the inside, and means forclosing the same on the outside.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

OTTO F. WAGENHORST. Witnesses: v

C. R. YOUNG, W. A. HELPER

